CONTINUE IN PRAYER II

"A man may study because his brain is hungry for knowledge, even Bible knowledge. But he prays because his soul is hungry for God." - Leonard Ravenhill

Prayer II

Many folks agree that prayer is a dialogue, and indeed it is: except that it first begins from the realm of a monologue. We first learn to talk to God, then learn to hear Him talk back to us. If that is anything to go by, then, we must take prayer from a mere religious act to a habit. Yes. We must pray, but much more than that, we must pray constantly, continually and consistently.

A soldier appeared before his commanding officer; he was accused of communicating with the enemy. He had been seen, emerging from an area where enemy troops patrolled. The soldier in his defense, stated that he had slipped away to spend an hour alone in prayer. "Have you been in the habit of spending an hour in private prayer?" Demanded the officer. "Yes, Sir," he replied.
"Then" said his commander, "Never in your life, have you been in more need of prayer than now. Kneel and pray aloud, so we all may hear you."
Expecting instant death, the soldier dropped to his knees and poured out his heart to God. His prayer immediately revealed an intimacy with the Heavenly Father. His earnest fluency, his humble appeal for divine intervention, and his obvious trust in one who was strong to deliver told unmistakably that he came regularly to the throne of grace.
"You may go," said the officer. "No one could have prayed that way without a long apprenticeship; the fellows who have never attended drill are always ill at ease for the review."

To be much for God, we have to be much with God. Many times, we are quick to start praying, but are seldom able to keep praying. Sidlow Baxter said "...Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons -- but they are helpless against our prayers." John Trapp concludes by saying, "God never denied that soul anything that went as far as heaven to ask for it."